GPS navigation will be newly available for drivers in Brno tunnels as well

GPS navigation will be newly available for drivers in Brno tunnels as well
11/4/2019Press releases

Road and Motorway Directorate of the Czech Republic together with the Czech Waze community and Israeli Waze company work on the deployment of Waze Beacons in Brno tunnels. The purpose of the beacons is to provide the driver’s location inside a tunnel. This action extends the successful cooperation from May 2018 when Waze Beacons were installed in Jihlava tunnel and introduced for the first time.

GPS navigation will be newly available for drivers in Brno tunnels as well

During April the beacons will be installed to Pisárecký, Královopolský and Hlinky tunnel and covered roads Záhřebská and Voroněžská. One last tunnel – Husovický – will be equipped with Waze Beacons after its reconstruction is over (end of August 2019).
 
So far, the beacons are used by Waze drivers only, but the technology is open, free and available for other applications as well, including other commercially available navigation systems.
 

How does it work?
 

Waze Beacons are small plastic boxes glued to the tunnel walls every 40 meters. Each box contains a small Bluetooth module that transmits an identification code of each device and there is no need to connect to the device. During a drive through a tunnel, a smartphone detects present beacons and calculates the location inside the tunnel based on the strength of the signal. The Waze Beacon is operational as long as the built-in battery supplies power. The estimated lifespan of the beacons in Brno is up to 6 years.
 

Increased safety, better traffic flow
 

Not only brings the exact tunnel location better navigation to the users but it also increases safety. The Beacons enable Waze users to detect deviations from the standard traffic flow. Drivers can share warnings among each other when there is a hazard inside the tunnel such as a stalled car, object on the road or a pothole. More information can be shared once requested.


 
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